The following courses are offered for Spring 2022. For more information, see the UC Berkeley Online Schedule of Classes.

Please note: the following list contains undergraduate and graduate courses in Architecture. This list will be amended as the schedule develops.

 

ARCH 11B [PAKRAVAN]

INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN

Introduction to design concepts and conventions of graphic representation and model building as related to the study of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and city planning. Students draw in plan, section, elevation, axonometric, and perspective and are introduced to digital media. Design projects address concepts of order, site analysis, scale, structure, rhythm, detail, culture, and landscape.

ARCH 24 [Martin]

FRESHMAN SEMINAR: DESIGN THINKING

Design thinking and innovation are key drivers of success for many of today’s leading industries, companies, and institutions. At the center of these activities are processes of knowledge application and skills referred to as design thinking. This type of thinking is nested in a rich history of forms of inquiry and research paradigms. This course will explore the relationship of design thinking to other forms of thinking strategies, as well as connect thinking to the actions of innovation.  Much of our future progress, both today and in the years to come, will result from a culture of creative innovation. Specifically, the results of Covid 19 are requiring us to seek a new normal making the attributes of a creative culture more connected to the use of design thinking, but all forms of inquiry are needed to unlock the challenges and potential of our actions. Design action represents a powerful set of methods to engage everyday challenges in almost any discipline or profession. The course will focus on ways of thinking as they relate to changing our environment, our organizations, our discipline, etc. In addition, the course will illustrate some of the characteristics of career paths that are at the center of design thinking and innovation.  

ARCH 98BC/198BC [Crawford] 

Berkeley Connect

Berkeley Connect links undergraduate students with experienced mentors in Architecture. These mentors lead small groups of 10-20 students in regular meetings; they also meet with students one-on-one to provide guidance and advice. The core of the Berkeley Connect program is a one-credit, pass-fail course that is designed to create a community of students with similar intellectual interests. There is no homework associated with Berkeley Connect: no exams, no papers, no quizzes. Instead, small group meetings focus on sharing ideas and learning new skills within the Architecture major as a way to foster friendships and provide a supportive intellectual community for Berkeley undergraduates.The only requirement for joining Berkeley Connect in Architecture is that you have an interest in the field of study. You do not have to be a major in order to participate. Undeclared freshmen and sophomores are welcome, along with entering junior transfers and juniors and seniors who have declared the major.

ARCH 100B [DiNapoli] 

Fundamentals of Architectural Design

Introductory course in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100B stresses tectonics, materials, and energy considerations. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings and field trips.

ARCH 100D [Various Instructors]

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IV

Students work on individual and/or group design projects that build on topics from previous studios with additional integration of conditions pertinent to architectural production that may include architectural precedents, context, landscape and urban issues, envelope, structure, and tectonics in the design of buildings. It may also include relevant and pertinent social, cultural, and technological issues facing architecture and design

ARCH 102B SEC 001 [Rael]

CAPSTONE PROJECT SEMINAR

ARCH 102B SEC 002 [Covey]

CAPSTONE PROJECT SEMINAR 

ARCH 109/209 [Zinni]

ULRICH'S WINDOW

Evidence Based Design (EBD) is defined as the methodology of forming design decisions about the built environment through experimental research. EBD became popular after Roger S. Ulrich’s 1984 “View through a window may influence recovery from surgery” study which found that a window with a view to natural scenery had an impact on a patient’s recovery time and reduced the use of post surgery medications. This class will examine how to strategically design and detail the window to support a place of restoration, to allow for views outward while still maintaining levels of privacy and security. This course will begin by analytically drawing a range of precedent project window nooks, which implement EBD strategies to improve users' health. Window designs will be studied through large scale analytical drawings of the window’s systems, attachments, security mechanisms, operability and materiality to evaluate how they address conditions of privacy while providing sufficient natural light, views, ventilation and security. Following the precedent analysis students will design and detail a restorative window nook.

ARCH 129/229 [Ellis]

SOCIAL HOUSING SEMINAR

This course will study the origins and history of Social Housing including early examples of public housing in London, Amsterdam, Red Vienna and New York; the ideas behind the New Deal; the legacy of Urban Renewal and its demise; and the recent efforts to address the chronic need for affordable housing. There will be a series of weekly lectures on the history of Social Housing and an examination of building types through the exploration of precedents and case studies. Students will be required to undertake selected readings for class discussions and to prepare drawings in an established format for inclusion in an ongoing archive with the CED Library. Students will be required to demonstrate their drafting and computer skills and to work both individually and in teams. Case studies will explore a range of residential building types, unit configurations and block patterns and how projects relate to their surrounding urban context. Building types explored will include flats and townhouses, low, mid and high-rise construction, walk-ups, skip-stops and elevator accessed, parking configurations and other factors. The intent is for the Social Housing Archive to become a valuable resource for architects, urban designers and students to learn about best practices in this important
field. Site visits to local examples will be arranged together with presentations from invited guest speakers. 

ARCH 140 [Schiavon]

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

This course covers a wide range of topics that affect the experiential qualities of the indoor environment and the energy that we use to heat, cool and light spaces to create those experiences. Topics include climate analysis, energy flows in buildings, thermal properties of building materials, thermal comfort, solar shading, daylighting, passive heating and cooling, indoor air quality, acoustics, and mechanical systems. Throughout, the course connects fundamental principles to design applications.  By starting with physical principles, students form an intellectual basis for evaluating buildings and understand the new technologies that will inevitably be introduced to the field. Students will also become skilled at using a variety of tools and modeling techniques that will enable them to design, predict, or evaluate the thermal and visual needs of their building to design.  

ARCH 159/259 [Mayencourt]

LOW CARBON STRUCTURAL DESIGN

This seminar explores structural design strategies and materials for the design of low embodied carbon building structures, with a focus on (mass) timber. It introduces concepts of graphic statics, structural optimization and digital fabrication for the design of resource efficient structural systems. Students will learn how to deploy low carbon materials in different structural applications through an understanding of material characteristics and detailing, force flow, and structural systems.

These concepts are developed in two design projects: 1) a midterm project on floor systems for highrise and standard buildings, and 2) a final project on long spanning structure.

Requirement: 150 or 250 preferred but not required

ARCH 160 [Buntrock]

INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION

This introduction to the materials and processes of construction takes architecture from design to realization. The course will cover four material groups commonly used in two areas of the building assembly (structure and envelope): wood, concrete, steel, and glass. You will understand choices available and how materials are conventionally used. By observing construction, you'll see how our decisions affect the size of materials, connections, and where they are assembled. Architects must understand not only conventions, but also the potential in materials, so we will also study unusual and new developments.

ARCH 170B [Crawford] 

A HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM 

The first part of this sequence studies the ancient and medieval periods; the second part studies the period since 1400; the aim is to look at architecture and urbanism in their social and historical context.

ARCH 179/279 Sec 001 [Vande Keere]

Contentious Heritage: Adaptive Reuse in Theory and Practice

We will investigate if and how contentious heritage can be reused to generate new meanings. How can adaptive reuse contribute to the (re-)construction of a (new) identity? How can we activate in a positive way the unsettled memories turned to stone? The seminar consists of three parts. In the first part we will give an outline of the emerging discourse on adaptive reuse, its historical background and theoretical framework, current approaches and some examples of architectural practice. In the second part we will elaborate on the concept of contentious heritage, defined as a valuable historical or architectural building or site planned and constructed according to social, economic, cultural or political views that are being rejected today. In the third part of the seminar, the students will develop a visual essay as a critical combination of text and image. As the topic sparks widespread public debate (in the US for instance on the Confederate monuments in the American South), we aim to address a variety of (international) examples and will encourage the students to select a contentious case from their personal environment.

ARCH 179/279 Sec 002 [Covey]

Urban Preservation | Urban Disruption

This seminar considers historical landscapes, preservation projects, and memorials in the East Bay that are either part of the everyday experience or hidden in plain sight. First, we will look at some of the urban planning projects that have defined the cities of Oakland and Berkeley over time. We will consider the East Bay’s public and civic spaces, historical monuments, as well as markers and plaques that memorialize local and regional history, such as the establishment of Spanish-colonial land grants and the community memorials in Cesar Chavez Park (constructed on the site of a former landfill). In the second half of this course, we look at how some of these same public and civic spaces have been reclaimed and disrupted through moments of protest and occupation. We will think critically about these events in juxtaposition with contemporary movements that question, critique, or attempt to rewrite “official” histories, such as the intentional ruining of heritage sites, the destruction or removal of monuments, and the un- naming of buildings.

ARCH 200B [Various Instructors]

INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE STUDIO 2

Introductory course in architectural design and theories for graduate students. Problems emphasize the major format, spatial, material, tectonic, social, technological, and environmental determinants of building form. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings, and field trips.

ARCH 200D/209 SEC 001 [Atwood]

REPRESENTATIONAL PRACTICE IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN II

ARCH 200D is the second part in a two-part sequence of courses that introduce students to techniques of architectural representation as well as the concepts and precedents that surround them. Building on the concepts and techniques introduced in ARCH 200C, this course will expand student’s technical knowledge to include, rendering, notation, and graphic design. Each topic will be broken into a separate module and be supported with lectures, discussions, tutorials, workshops and presentations. Additionally, the class is closely linked with ARCH 200B, Introduction to Architecture Studio 2 and will provide much of the technical skill building for that course.

ARCH 202 [Faculty]

GRAD OPTION STUDIO

Description: Forthcoming

ARCH 204B [Various Instructors] 

Thesis Studio

Description: Forthcoming

ARCH 205B [Gutierrez]

STUDIO ONE, SPRING

This course is the second semester of a one-year, post-professional studio intended for those students who have a professional architecture degree and wish to explore current design issues in a stimulating, rigorous, and highly experimental studio setting.

ARCH 207D [Buntrock] 

THE CULTURES OF PRACTICE

This class is intended to facilitate the transition from education to practice. We study architects’ ethical responsibilities, both in the office and to society; the ways firms are organized and how power and opportunities are distributed; the legal structures connecting architects to clients and contractors. I hope to prepare you to make decisions that put you in a strong position to succeed and to understand both your rights and responsibilities and how to advocate for yourself.

The class is only open to students in the M.Arch program. It is required for NAAB accreditation.

ARCH 209 SEC 002 [Davids]

Architecture, Landscape

The design of the built environment is inextricably linked to the history of a site, its spatial, material, and phenomenological conditions, natural and social ecology. Placed in inhospitable surroundings, even well-designed buildings are unlikely to retain their value and public appreciation declines over time, leading to blight and premature demolition. Integrated buildings and landscapes create better, more interesting environments, and their mutually beneficial reciprocity enhances the quality of urban life.

This seminar will explore how the conceptual connection of Landscape + Architecture can enrich current architectural, landscape, and urban design practice, expanding the potential inherent within each discipline. The seminar will be divided into two parts: the first half will consist of readings, presentations, and discussions; during the second half, students will select a landscape, cultivated or not, and adjust it to accommodate a building, or choose a building and design a complementary landscape around it, adjusting the architecture if necessary. In either case, a thoughtful approach to the process of integrating buildings and landscapes is as important, if not more so, than the finished project. Ideally, architecture, landscape, and planning students will work together in teams, but students in any of the three disciplines may choose to work independently.

ARCH 230 [Turan]

ADVANCED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN THEORY AND CRITICISM 

Seminar in the analysis and discussion of contemporary and historical issues in architectural design theory and criticism. 

ARCH 240 [Caldas]

ADVANCED STUDY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Minimizing energy use is a cornerstone of designing and operating sustainable buildings, and attention to energy issues can often lead to greatly improved indoor environmental quality. For designers, using computer-based energy analysis tools are important not only to qualify for sustainability ratings and meet energy codes, but also to develop intuition about what makes buildings perform well. This course will present quantitative and qualitative methods for assessing energy performance during design of both residential and commercial buildings. Students will get hands-on experience with state-of-the-art software to assess the performance of building components and whole-building designs.

ARCH 249 Sec 001 [Ben Taube]

INTRODUCTION TO BUILDING ENERGY CODES AND STANDARDS

1 Unit: 3 Hours of Lecture Per Week, 5 Weeks 1/21/22 - 2/28/22

This class will focus on the codes and standards that dictate the energy requirements for the construction of new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings. The building sector plays an important role in global warming, and it is critically important to reduce building energy use in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Typically, energy codes cover thermal envelope, mechanical systems, service hot water, and lighting, which are the aspects of the building that have a major impact on energy use. As energy codes change with each code cycle, designers must stay aware of current regulations to ensure that their designs will comply with energy codes. By the end of the class, it is expected that you will understand building energy codes that apply to state and local jurisdictions, energy standards, model codes, code development, code adoption, and code compliance.

ARCH 249 Sec 002 [Jingjuan Dove Feng]

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS SYSTEMS DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS

1 Unit: 3 Hours of Lecture Per Week, 5 Weeks 2/25/22 - 4/1/22

Federal and state energy codes, local jurisdictions, and utility programs are moving toward carbon neutrality through all-electric building requirements. This module covers a range of topics that address high-performing HVAC engineering on building projects with zero carbon, all-electric, and grid responsive goals. By the end of the module, it is expected that you will: 1) understand the strategies that contribute to heating/cooling load reduction; 2) understand the basics of the HVAC components and system design solutions for typical commercial and multifamily buildings; 3) understand and learn to use analytical tools to compare and develop low carbon and grid-responsive strategies for a given design condition. The class will prepare you to work across design disciplines in an integrated design process to set and achieve zero carbon design goals cost-effectively, including needs for increased communication between stakeholders and the design team.

ARCH 249 Sec 003 [Various Instructors]

USING R FOR BUILDING SCIENCE

1 Unit: 3 Hours of Lecture Per Week, 5 Weeks 4/8/22 - 4/29/22

This class will focus on applications of data science methods to better understand occupants and the built environment. Buildings generate an enormous amount of data during both the design and operation phases. Practitioners and researchers are increasingly turning to data science methods to leverage this resource to improve the efficiency of buildings and the interior spaces for occupants. The size and heterogeneity of these data sources - BIM models, energy simulations, building systems, sensor data, survey responses - extend beyond the capabilities of traditional spreadsheet tools like Excel. This class will use R, an open-source programming language for statistical computing, to demonstrate how to extract insights and meaning from typical data sources in buildings. The content is designed to be very practical and interactive.

ARCH 250 [Schleicher]

INTRODUCTION TO STRUCTURES

This course focuses on the fundamental principles that affect the structural behavior of buildings. Through lectures, lab sessions, and digital exercises, students will learn analytical techniques for measuring and evaluating the flow of forces through structural systems. They will also begin to appreciate the factors involved in choosing an appropriate structural system for their designs. Students will learn to consider the structural behavior of buildings as a fundamental factor in the design of architectural proposals. Over the course of the semester, students will work in teams and explore different structural systems and materials commonly used in contemporary architecture. The goal of the class is to gain a fundamental understanding of the forces, moments, and stresses in typical building elements such as columns, beams, frames and walls and to make better informed decisions when designing resource- and environmentally-friendly buildings with lightweight and material-efficient structural systems.

ARCH 258 [Schleicher]

ROBOTIC FABRICATION

The emergence of robotics in creative sectors has sparked an entirely new movement of collective making that is inextricably open and future-oriented. Challenged by increasingly complex technological and environmental problems, architects, designers, and engineers are seeking novel practices of collaboration that go far beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. This collective approach to working with robots is not only revolutionizing how things are designed and made, but is fundamentally transforming the culture, politics, and economics of the creative industries as a whole. Unlike most other CNC devices, today’s robotic arms are not restricted to any particular application but can readily be customized and programmed to suit a wide range of specific intentions, both at the material and conceptual level. This versatility has shifted the perception of robots as mechanistic, utilitarian devices suited to standard serial production, toward understanding them as creative tools for exploring, designing, and realizing physical objects and the built environment. The goal of this class is to investigate the unique possibilities of robotic manufacturing and combining it with emerging technologies such as AR/VR, 3D scanning, and data-driven 3D printing for the development of new and creative building processes. Working together as one team, the students in the class are given the task to envision a novel workflow for smart fabrication and human-robot interaction that could fundamentally change how we are going to produce, assemble, and operate our built environment in the future.

This class is open to graduate students from the fields of architecture, electrical engineering, and computer science. Prior experience in robot programming, AR/VR, 3D printing, 3D scanning, and design programs such as Rhinoceros and Grasshopper would be beneficial.

ARCH 269 SEC 002 [Gutierrez]

Plant Fibers: The Assemblage Origins and Projections

The course explores traditional and emerging construction technologies made of plant fibers to create woven pendant structures in the form of a built installation. Strategic manual and advanced digital fabrication including robotics will be investigated in the course. 

ARCH 375 [Larice]

SEMINAR IN THE TEACHING OF ARCHITECTURE 

This class is intended for first-time graduate student instructors, especially those working in studio and lab settings. The class covers a range of issues that normally come up when teaching, offers suggestions regarding how to work well with other graduate student instructors and faculty, and how to manage a graduate student instructor's role as both student and teacher. The greatest benefit of this class comes from the opportunity to explore important topics together. Using a relatively light but provocative set of readings, the seminar will explore the issues raised each week. There will be one assignment intended to help students explore their own expectations as educators.

ENV DES R3B [Faculty]

READING AND COMPOSITION IN ENERGY, SOCIETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

This course will expose students to key literature that examines, primarily, the relationship between sustainability and environmental design disciplines. Our goal will be not only to investigate the central ideas that inform the design of sustainable landscapes, cities, and buildings, but also to understand how competing arguments are presented in writing. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition Requirement.

ENV DES 104 [Faculty]

DESIGN FRAMEWORKS

This course begins with an open-ended question (“What is design?”) and asks students to think critically about the central tenets, commonalities, and limits of design in an ever-changing complex world. A historical and theoretical overview of predominant schools of thought across all scales of design (i.e. industrialization, modernism, post-modernism, and beyond) will ground the discussions to follow. Topics related to environmental sustainability including industrial ecologies, ecological design principles, lifecycle, biomimicry, LEED and accreditation systems, and closed-loop cycles will be presented.

ENV DES 106 [Cesal]

SUSTAINABILE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN WORKSHOP

This course asks students to reflect back, reviewing the various disciplinary approaches introduced toward sustainability and to look forward by proposing interdisciplinary ways to affect the environment. Each year will be organized around a theme and project advanced by the faculty of the College. The workshop will require independent as well as collaborative research often in partnership with an external 'client' organization.